Hello! My name is Katie & I am the owner & operator of cry baby clay, a Minneapolis community clay resource.

 

I started selling take-home clay kits from my front porch at the start of the pandemic. They took off in popularity, which required & enabled me to open up an in-person pottery studio! I provide fun, affordable & casual access to working with clay.

 

I have spent these past two years sprinting to catch up to the growth of my business (which is a good problem to have!) but also not NOT a problem.

 

When I first signed my lease for the studio, I launched a fundraiser but did not meet my goal (I raised a bit over $3,000 on a $27,000 goal). After that, I racked up a significant amount of credit card debt to be able to jump-start my business, and now I am having difficulty paying for studio upkeep, kiln maintenance, groceries, car repairs, etc.

 

I have poured 100% of myself & my resources into this business and am at the point where I need to ask for help.

 

I recently applied for a bank loan but was denied because I don't have enough income. Fun fact! cry baby clay made $42,000 in sales last year! WHICH IS SO COOL!! I also racked up $40,000 in expenses. Less cool :(

 

Rather than dig deeper into a debt hole, I'm trying my luck to see if enough people have some dollars they can send my way to keep this dream (for me & the community) alive!

 

It's so hard to ask for help, but I realize that I've been treading water for so long, this second attempt at a fundraiser is long overdue. Especially since I recently had to close for 2 weeks due to having Covid, & then promptly ran into some kiln issues upon my return, setting me back quite a bit.

 

It would mean the world to me if you could donate if you're able, tell your friends & family, and share this with your followers.

 

I'll still be operating the studio business as usual while I run this fundraiser, which I hope can alleviate my financial stress. So please consider popping in some time to say hello, grab a take-home clay kit, sign up for workshops, or book private events.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I'm feeling SUPER vulnerable right now